Baylor nabs No. 7 spot in early preseason top 25 poll

Preseason top 25 football polls will be popping up soon and, in fact, one is making the Internet rounds already. The cover of the 2015 Sporting News' college football edition has leaked and it lists the top 10 teams on its preseason poll.

The two-time Big 12 champion Baylor Bears come in at No. 7. Most college football analysts project the Bears as a top-10 team to start the 2015 season.

Baylor is coming off an 11-2 season with its only losses at West Virginia and then a disappointing Cotton Bowl defeat to Michigan State in which the Spartans rallied from a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Interestingly, Michigan State is ranked just behind the Bears at No. 8.

With 18 starters returning, playmakers everywhere on offense and a veteran defense that should be as stout as any in the Art Briles era, Baylor has its sights set on making the College Football Playoff, and in the process matching Oklahoma as the only team to win three consecutive Big 12 titles.

The Bears' stiffest competition is expected to come from bitter rival TCU, which is ranked No. 2 in the Sporting News' poll, behind defending national champion Ohio State.

Baylor opens the season on a Friday night, Sept. 4 at SMU. It won't face the Horned Frogs until the second-to-late game of the season on Nov. 27 at Fort Worth.

(h/t Houston Chronicle)

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports